NOT Your Ordinary Breakfast Roll

by Amazon al Dente at 11:17 PM PDT, July 1, 2009

Popovers have made the move from the breakfast nook to the dining table, so it's no surprise then that traditional breakfast rolls are eyeing similar opportunities.

A recent lunch at Bourbon Steak, Michael Mina's steakhouse at the Four Seasons in Washington, D.C., began with what looked like a buttery cinnamon bun, but was in fact a glorious breakfast roll made with black truffle butter. Pure decadence.

If you love to bake and entertain, this recipe will no doubt surprise and delight your guests. In true baker's fashion, it is written in grams for accuracy. If you don't already have a kitchen food scale, inexpensive versions are easy to find.

Truffle Butter Rolls

Ingredients:
1628 grams bread flour
1136 grams whole milk
16 grams instant yeast (not active dry yeast)
36 grams fine sea salt
196 grams unsalted butter, softened
36 grams brown rice syrup or honey
Truffle butter

Directions:
1. Combine the flour and the milk in a mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix for about 1 minute, just until the dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

2. Remove the plastic wrap and add the yeast. Mix on medium speed until the yeast s absorbed, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the salt and continue to mix on medium speed for several minutes until gluten is well developed and 'window panes' is achieved.

4. Add the butter and brown rice syrup and mix until all of the butter is incorporated and the dough is homogeneous and smooth.

5. Place the dough in a plastic container lightly sprayed with canola oil spray and cover with a lid. Move to the refrigerator and allow the dough to retard proof overnight.

6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature - about 30 minutes.

7. Uncover the dough and gently remove from the container onto a work surface.

8. Roll dough down to 1/8" thickness and cover with fine layer of truffle butter.

9. Roll up dough like a cinnamon bun and cut into 1-1/4 inch slices.

10. Arrange into truffled butter cast iron pan giving enough room for bread to double in size.

11. Proof in a warm moist place until doubled in size.

12. Bake in a hot oven 400 degrees F until bottom of buns are golden brown. Slather on more truffle butter and serve.

--Tracy Schneider

read more “NOT Your Ordinary Breakfast Roll”

Walla Walla Onions--In the Raw and Oh So Sweet!

by Amazon al Dente at 12:38 PM PDT, June 25, 2009

During the winter months, I rarely use sliced raw onion on my sandwiches or in my salads. I simply find them to be too harsh to eat straight up.

However, now that summer is here and Washington's Walla Walla sweet onions are hitting the markets, I find myself tucking the sweet crisp slices into everything from pita pockets and homemade gyros to burgers, salads, and salsas. They are one of those seasonal regional treats that simply can't be purchased year round.

These onions hail from Washington's Walla Walla Valley, but they are originally from the Island of Corsica, which is off the west coast of Italy. More than 100 years ago, a French soldier named Peter Pieri gathered the onion seed and eventually brought it to this fertile valley in Eastern Washington. The rest is history, and the onion has been revered ever since.

Although there are other sweet onions on the market such as the Vidalia and Texas 1015, Kathryn Fry, the Director of Marketing for the Walla Walla Onion Marketing Committee explained the factors that set the Walla Walla apart.

She said, "The Walla Wallas are hand harvested and open pollinated... with a Walla Walla it's a natural sweetness. It's a really big deal." She also explained that consumers should look for the onion's official sticker which declares "Walla Walla Genuine Sweet Onion." This helps to ensure authenticity when various onions are sometimes carelessly combined in a produce bin at a store.

I had been poking through the onion's official website for ideas and stumbled upon this recipe for Walla Walla Sweet Onion and Watermelon Salsa. It seemed intriguing but odd. I asked Fry if the recipe was good, or if she had any other "best recipes." She told me the salsa is very popular and that it's awesome.

Over the years, I've learned to trust tips from industry folks like Fry. They know their product inside and out and they know what consumers like. So, Fry's endorsement sent me slicing and dicing last night. The salsa is cool, spicy, sweet, crunchy, and herbaceous. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Walla Walla Sweet Onion and Watermelon Salsa

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped watermelon (seeds removed)
3/4 cup chopped Walla Walla Sweet Onion
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped seeded jalapeno chilies
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Stir together all the ingredients in bowl. Refrigerate, covered, at least one hour to blend flavors. Stir before serving.

Recipe Courtesy of the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee and The National Watermelon Promotion Board

Photo by Melissa A. Trainer

--Melissa A. Trainer

read more “Walla Walla Onions--In the Raw and Oh So Sweet!”